Portable Shrine of Wooden Buddha Triad at Songgwangsa Temple, Suncheon

A bulgam is a shrine cut from wood, stone or metal to hold an image, smaller than a building. It is valuable evidence not only for the style of the image inside it but for the architecture of its time. This one is said to have been brought back from China by the state preceptor Jinul, though no record confirms it. It is in three parts: a central chamber with a small chamber on either side, hinged like doors. Closed, it forms an octagonal column with a rounded top, 13 cm high overall; open, it is 17 cm wide. In the central chamber the principal Buddha sits on a lotus pedestal, robed over both shoulders, the folds rendered in two lines. The right hand is raised to shoulder height; the left, resting on the knee, holds something. The right-hand chamber holds Samantabhadra, who stands for compassion put into practice, seated on a pedestal carved with an elephant, an attendant boy to his left and a lion to his right. The left-hand chamber holds Manjushri, who stands for wisdom, holding a lotus stem and standing on a pedestal carved with a lion, an attendant boy on either side. For its size the detail is exact and finely cut. The ornament and the faces have a foreign air that suggests Indian influence, while the form and construction of the shrine show elements from Tang China. Among the shrines that survive in Korea it is exceptionally rare.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Suncheon, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

National Treasure · 국보